Newsprint is a popular publication medium due to its low price and high absorbency features. Characteristically, it is manufactured from acidic pulp and contains short wood fibers and impurities. Unfortunately, this acidic composition makes newsprint unstable, thus making preservation for extended periods of time impossible without special treatment.
Preservation of newspapers and other documents is important, in particular, to libraries, historical societies, and others with similar interests. But it is also of interest to the ordinary layperson who may wish to save a newspaper with historical significance, such as an assassination, the end of a war, or the arrival of man on the moon, or who may wish to save a personal moment, such as the winning of a medal, a wedding, or the birth of a child, for example. The present invention inherently addresses the requirements of a broad range of publications and documents often selected for collection, storage, and display.
To increase the life of newsprint, it is necessary to reduce its exposure to light or to store it in darkness. It is also necessary to reduce or eliminate its exposure to airborne pollutants and other contaminants. Also, since paper degradation is the result of a chemical reaction which accelerates in the presence of heat, it is desirable to reduce newsprint's exposure to heat and humidity. The present invention is engineered to achieve maximum protection from a wide range of vulnerabilities, while allowing the publication to be displayed and enjoyed.
The present invention is particularly directed to laypersons who wish to preserve a significant event. The device will extend the life of the newspaper for a significant period of time, while allowing it to be displayed for enjoyment. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device which will extend the life of a newspaper by reducing the paper's exposure to light, contaminants, and humidity. It is a further object of the invention to provide an easy means for handling and storing the newspaper. It is a final object of the present invention to provide a means of displaying the newspaper for continuing enjoyment. These together with other objects and features, which will be in part apparent and in part pointed out, reside in the details of construction as more fully described and claimed hereinafter.